Jake The Skull

In this world of high technology automobiles, one trend seems to be more and more popular. I was reading Top Gears review of the new Stingray, and I wasn't surprised with what was said in the comment section.

"The pushrod engine? How barbaric."

It seems the world has it out for GM's go-to engine layout. As if it's an outcast piece of ancient technology. It's old, outdated, and useless. I'm here throwing up my arms, in complete disbelief.

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So it's old tech. It's simple, and that's what is so damn great about it. In the world of automobiles, complicated isn't always a good thing. I can recall my first encounter with the Chrysler 4.7 liter. It was huge for that size of displacement. The worst part? Getting the timing system back together. Three chains looped over and around 4 gears, riding on two tensioners and two guides. When the engine was finally put together, a rocker arm *popped off, and I had to tear it apart again. Aligning two camshafts to one crank with nothing but tiny paint marks is incredibly stressful, especially how Chrysler did it.

When's the last time you heard about a timing chain breaking off of a small block Chevy? How many miles can you go before servicing the timing chain? The answers? Almost never and as many damn miles as you want.

Cam shafts are heavy. They carry inertia, and sitting them atop the engine is almost a head scratcher for me. In performance cars not only does weight pose an issue, balance does as well. Why wouldn't you want you engine's weight to be balanced as well?

The fact remains, the pushrod engine just fricken works. Don't believe me? Look at Team Corvette Racing's record. All alone in a field of OHVs, and they still dominate.

They're easier to work on, easier to maintain, more cost efficient, easier to upgrade, more compact, and downright reliable. In fact, anyone who tries to say the pushrod is unreliable is lying through their teeth, and they know it.

So who really gives a damn? It's old school, so what? It works. It always has worked. It always will work. So stop bitching about it and let it have it's day. The pushrod engine has earned it.